NOMENCLATURE by AUSTIN M. PATTERSON The A A A S Report of
1891
recognized by the AAAS committee w a s t h a t for acetylenic hydrocarbons (as p r o p i n e ) , b u t that ending has now b e e n replaced by -yne. The pronunciations en (for i n e ) , in (for i n ) a n d in (for y n e ) serve t o distinguish t h e t h r e e endings. I t is n o t easy, at this late d a t e , to assess t h e influence exerted by t h e rep o r t . Apparently it was greater a m o n g outsiders t h a n in chemical circles, for t h e dictionaries continue t o recognize, m o r e or less, t h e -id a n d uniform -in spellings. A present-day report, if a p p r o v e d by t h e ACS, t h e Chemical Society ( L o n d o n ) , or especially t h e International Union, would naturally carry m o r e weight. Nevertheless, just o n e conclusion is possible from t h e a b o v e , namely, that authorities propose a n d u s a g e in the end disposes. If some progress c a n b e recorded, a n d it usually can be, that is perhaps as m u c h as w e are justified in expecting.
Through t h e kindness of H . P. Kelsey of t h e staff of Webster's New International Dictionary w e have been reading a 62-year-old article b y Thomas H . Norton on " T h e Spelling and Pronunciation of Chemical Terms" [Science 20, 272-4 ( 1 8 9 2 ) ] . Norton w a s a member of a distinguished committee of Section C of the American Association for t h e Advancement of Science. T h e committee, which also included Henry C. Bolton, E d w a r d Hart, and James Lewis Howe, m a d e its final report in the preceding year (Proc, AAAS 1891, 1 7 3 - 8 ) . This report is the subject of the Norton article. W e have heard that t h e report was approved by Section C, t h e attendance being something less t h a n 100. It is interesting to see how far the committee's recommendations have been accepted in usage. The spellings cesium, aluminum, and N a m e s f o r C a t i o n s sulfur, sulfate now prevail in this T h e following rules appear in the country, b u t not in England. The " T e n t a t i v e Rules for Inorganic Nomennames columbium and glucinum (for clature"; issued b y the Inorganic Noniobium a n d beryllium) h a v e recently m e n c l a t u r e Commission of the Interbeen disowned b y the International n a t i o n a l Union of Pure and Applied Union. T h e dropping of -ic in such Chemistry (Comptes Rendus 17me. cases as strontic and amnionic (where Conférence I U P A C , 1953, page 100; there is n o contrast with -ous) has see also C&EN 32, 2714, 1954). succeeded; so has t h e exclusive use of -ol as an ending for names of alcohols B.l. Cationic Radicals. ( a n d p h e n o l s ) . Usage is still divided l.a. The ending -onium for cationic between t h e recommended Latin pre- radicals is restricted to the name ammofixes for t h e "valent" terms (univalent, nium (including substituted ammonium bivalent, quadrivalent) and the Greek radicals) and to names of analogous ions prefixes (as in monovalent, divalent, tetravalent). Gramme was preferred in which the central atom is indicated: by t h e committee to gram for fear the phosphonium, arsonium> stibonium, oxolatter might b e confused in writing nium, sulfonium, selenonium, telluronium, with "grain" and so cause accidents in iodonium. pharmacy, b u t present usage strongly l.b. When the names of ammonium, favors the shorter spelling. sulfoniurn, etc. ions are formed from trivT h e proposed uniform -id spelling ial names of t h e corresponding bases the (oxid, chlorid, anilid) gained some ending -ium is simply added to the name adherents for a time, b u t was never of the base (if necessary after deleting a popular. I t was feared that -ide might final e or a ) ; e.g. hydrazinium, pyridinium, be confused in talk with -ite, b u t this danger has been disregarded. The imidazolium, guanidinium, dioxanium, di-ide spelling is n o w nearly universal methylpyronium, thiourium. Ions formed among chemists (except in the case of by addition of a proton to acids (that are lipide! ) . T h e committee also proposed thus functioning as bases) may be desthe uniform ending -in, and here usage ignated analogously: nitracidium, acetais partly divided; however, most British cidium. and American chemists observe the I.e. Where more than one ion is dedistinction between basic organic com- rived from one base, e.g. N2H5+ and NsRU2* pounds (amine, aniline) a n d nonbasic their ionic charges should b e indicated on ones (salicin, protein). Names of the their names, as hydrazinium ( 1+) and hyhalogens continue to b e spelled -ine + (fluorine, chlorine); so do such words drazinium (2 ), respectively. l.d· The Commission considers that as arsine, phosphine, gasoline, a n d (in + part) olefine. T h e only -ine spelling special names proposed to distinguish NO and NOs* from uncharged radicals are unnecessary for general use, as compounds 221 North King St., Xenia, Ohio VOLUME
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believed to contain theiri^ c a n be clearly named by using "nitrosyl" a n d "nitryl." This column has already commented on hydrazine ions ( C & E N 3 2 , 3548, 1954; 3 3 , 40, 1 9 5 5 ) . As t o t h e names pyronium a n d thiourium ( B . l . b ) , they seem questionable from t h e organic point of view b e c a u s e t w o functions are expressed i n t h e e n d i n g of the name, a p r a c t i c e which is disapproved b y Rule 5 1 of the o r g a n i c Definitive Report. However, t h e m a t t e r is complicated b y p r o b l e m s of structure. A d d N o · 4 : P a r e c i ous
T o the t h r e e words containing the vowels a,e,i,o,u, in alphabetic order, namely abstemious, arsenious and facetious (C&EN 3 2 , 4 4 1 8 , N o v . 1) W. H. Newberry of Olin M a t h i e s o n Chemical Corp. has a d d e d a fourth, "parecious," a botanical t e r m (wtiich i s also spelled "paroecious"). And now comes Ernst B. Àuerbach ( C & E N , 3 2 , 4820, Dec. 6 ) , who claims " t h i o u r e a " as the shortest E n g l i s h w o r d containing all five vowels in any order. Who says organic chemists always use long words?
INBULII INDULIN (pine wood lignin) stabilizes emulsions by sequestering Ca and Mg ions which would otherwise preeipitafe emulsifiers. Foams are stabilized by INDUUN's action in decreasing the interfacial tension between air and liquid or solid medium. INDULIN is now used in asphalt emulsions and oil well drilling muds, firefighting foams and air entrapment for cement- Where can our technical advisers put INDULIN to work for you? Send for Bulletins L-6 and 1 0 1 .
WEST VSS3SSKE5A PUB.P AND PAPER COMPANY POLYCHEMICALS D I V I S I O N Charleston A South Carolina
5A7
